Scientific publications

Two new publications from the SUPPORT-SYSTEMS project

Two recent publications from the SUPPORT-SYSTEMS project, led by Dennis Wambiri Waithaka as part of his PhD (completed in January 2026), explore the use of evidence from civil society actors and other sources in health policymaking.

The first, Mapping evidence for health policy and systems decision-making, published in Health Research Policy and Systems, presents a framework for mapping the many types of evidence that inform health policy and systems decisions. Rather than sorting evidence into either/or categories, this “spectrum approach” places it along two axes: from tacit knowledge grounded in personal experience to scientific evidence produced through systematic and transparent methods, and from local to global in relation to the decision setting. The framework deliberately maps rather than ranks evidence, giving experiential and local knowledge a place alongside research. It can help researchers and decision-makers see what evidence is available, where the gaps are, and how relevant different sources are to a given decision.

The second, Examining evidence use in vaccine policymaking in Kenya, published in Health Policy and Planning, explores evidence use in the context of introducing HPV and malaria vaccines in Kenya. Drawing on interviews, more than 400 hours of observation of policy meetings and a review of documents, it shows how international partners, through their funding and technical roles, steered decisions towards global guidance and scientific evidence, while local programme experience was key to adapting that guidance to the Kenyan context. Biomedical and public health expertise dominated decision-making, and civil society’s community knowledge mainly shaped communication materials rather than decisions on whether and how to introduce vaccines.

Both bring novel insights into how evidence-informed decision-making to strengthen health systems needs to pay attention to broader sources of evidence beyond research evidence, and into the challenges and opportunities that lie in this broader thinking.

Previous publications

An earlier paper Civil Society’s Evidence-Generating Role for Health Policy Decisions, published in the International Journal of Health Policy and Management, analysed a four-week online discussion that the project held in 2022 with the Healthcare Information For All (HIFA) community. Contributors from 10 countries emphasised that civil society is diverse, so its evidence needs to be assessed for representativeness and vested interests, and that civil society can offer local and tacit knowledge that complements scientific evidence. They also pointed to the importance of institutional structures for meaningful participation, and to how power imbalances, gatekeeping and funding constraints shape whether this evidence influences policy.

The project has also published a protocol, Using evidence from civil society in national and subnational health policy processes in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews for a qualitative evidence synthesis on how evidence from civil society is used in national and subnational health policy processes. The review will explore which types of civil society evidence are included or left out, how civil society actors and decision-makers experience its use, and how it is seen to influence the inclusiveness, responsiveness and accountability of health policy.

Read the publications

Waithaka D, Tsofa B, Glenton C, et al. Mapping evidence for health policy and systems decision-making: a spectrum approach bridging tacit and scientific knowledge across local and global contexts. Health Research Policy and Systems. 2026.

Waithaka D, Lewin S, Nzinga J, et al. Examining evidence use in vaccine policymaking in Kenya: a qualitative case study. Health Policy and Planning. 2026.

Gopinathan U, Asoka T, Aponte-Rueda ME, et al. Civil society’s evidence-generating role for health policy decisions: a thematic analysis of a Healthcare Information for All (HIFA) community online discussion. International Journal of Health Policy and Management. 2025.

Gopinathan U, Peacocke E, Abankwah DN, et al. Using evidence from civil society in national and subnational health policy processes: a qualitative evidence synthesis (protocol). Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2024.